Proud to say Georgia

Since 1851, 25 governors of Georgia have been graduates of Georgia. At least 17 UGA alumni are presidents or provosts of colleges and universities in the U.S. Nine UGA graduates have received the Pulitzer Prize. Four UGA alumni have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences.

Undergraduate Admissions

The University of Georgia is a national leader among public universities in the numbers of major scholarships earned by our students. We have had eight Rhodes Scholars since 1995. In the same period, our students have won 46 Goldwater Scholarships. UGA students have earned 12 Truman Scholarships since 1995, and each year we have multiple recipients of major national scholarships.

Graduate Admissions

Continuing Education

Whether you are looking for personal improvement, seeking a credential or wanting to change your career path, the University of Georgia Center for Continuing
Education delivers a variety of educational programs to meet your learning needs.

International Students

The University of Georgia has approximately 180 International Cooperative Agreements (ICAs) in over 50 countries. These agreements allow for the formal
development of activities such as faculty and student exchanges, collaborative research, seminars and workshops, and/or service programs.

Research at UGA

The Office of the Vice President for Research encourages and supports UGA research, scholarship and creative activities by assisting with the recruitment of research-intensive faculty, and providing infrastructure for sponsored research. We help to move UGA innovations into the marketplace, encourage research-based economic development, and ensure responsible conduct in research.

Centers & Institutes

UGA research addresses real-life problems, including the grand challenges associated with water, food, fuel, environment and health. It also enriches the soul through the arts, humanities and social sciences. OVPR's Interdisciplinary centers, institutes and research initiatives provide enhanced interactions and focus on advanced areas of research.

Student and Postdoctoral Research

Undergraduate students, graduate students and postdoctoral scholars are critical to the successful pursuit of research and scholarship at the University of Georgia. They contribute in multiple ways to research and scholarship in the physical, life and social sciences, as well as the arts and humanities.

PSO Units

For more than 80 years, PSO has led the University in bringing its resources to each of Georgia’s 159 counties, 500+ cities, and around the world, serving more than 110,000 individuals annually to improve the quality of life in Georgia and beyond.

Service-Learning

The University of Georgia has been recognized by the Carnegie Foundation for its institutional commitment to community engagement through teaching, research, and public service with the Community Engagement Classification. UGA was one of only 115 colleges and universities to achieve this elective classification in 2010 and joined the ranks of only 311 institutions nationally.

Campus Life

Student Affairs is a primary point of contact for students through more than 600 registered student organizations; student programming groups; social
fraternities and sororities; student leadership programs and volunteer services; and international and multicultural programs.

Health & Recreation

The 440,000-square-foot Bernard B. and Eugenia A. Ramsey Student Center for Physical Activities is one of the largest and most comprehensive fitness/exercise facilities for students and faculty in the country.

Get Involved

In 2000, UGA was the first university in the nation to organize a collegiate Relay For Life. It raised more than $115,000. UGA Relay now has over 3,200 student volunteers and has raised more than $2.3 million, benefiting The American Cancer Society.

Academic Units

Students and faculty pursue arts studies in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. The Special Collections Libraries provide access to materials related to the history and culture of Georgia, while the Willson Center and ICE promote Interdisciplinary inquiry and creative activity in the arts.

Kassie Smith

Kassie Smith, who is earning her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mathematics education simultaneously, not only has excelled in the classroom but has volunteered extensively and still managed to find time for one of her passions: Bulldog athletics.

Expected graduation:

Fall 2013

Degree objective:

University highlights, achievements and awards:

My experience at the University of Georgia has been a whirlwind of work and play. From the beginning, I was focused on my academics but was always sure to make time for fun. The highlight of my freshman year was definitely my study abroad trip to Costa Rica that summer. I went on the GORP/Astronomy trip where we actively explored this beautiful country and made memories to last a lifetime. My big adventure sophomore year was an IMPACT spring break trip to Philadelphia. With 20 of my newest friends, we took a road trip to Philadelphia and worked with ARC Philadelphia, an organization that provides purposeful work and fun activities for local residents with special needs. Each year, I stayed involved with Relay for Life by serving on the Logistics Committee. Seeing so many college students gathered together to celebrate loved ones and fight for a cure for cancer was always so inspiring. Additionally, I kept busy by volunteering in local middle and high schools where I visited classes during the school day multiple times each week. This gave me the opportunity to get into a mathematics classroom and mentor many local students.

I was privileged to be selected to work for University Housing as a resident assistant beginning my sophomore year. This allowed me to meet and work with many other great RAs and 40 to 60 college students each year. The other big piece of my college experience has been UGA athletics. I have always been a sports fan and have thoroughly enjoyed supporting all athletic events here at UGA.

Work always comes with play, and my UGA experience has also been filled with loads of hard work. Coming in to UGA, I was awarded the Zell Miller Scholarship and the UGA Charter Scholarship. I maintained these achievements by making the dean’s list each semester. Taking advantage of the Honors Program and its combined bachelor’s/master’s program, I began taking graduate classes my sophomore year, when I proceeded to take the GRE and was accepted into the Graduate School. This same year, I also received the John Hollingsworth Undergraduate Award for excellent achievement in undergraduate mathematics classes.

Some of my greatest achievements have been the most recent. Last spring, I was honored with the 2013 Rotaract Student Service Award for the UGA College of Education. Awarded based on leadership, achievement and service, only one student from each of the UGA colleges receives this award per year. Furthermore, I will have the opportunity to represent the College of Education once again as I serve as the UGA College of Education representative at the investiture ceremony of President Jere W. Morehead.

Hometown:

Cumming, Ga.

High School:

West Forsyth High School

Current Employment:

Because I am student teaching this semester, I am currently not employed. However, during my sophomore and junior years, I worked as a resident assistant for University Housing. I have also worked as a unit leader, challenge course facilitator and lifeguard at a Girl Scout camp in Georgia on my summer breaks.

Family Ties to UGA:

I am proud to be the first Bulldog from a family of Yellow Jackets. They don’t know what they missed out on!

I chose to attend UGA because...

… everything about UGA made it the perfect fit for me. Out of high school, I knew that I wanted to major in mathematics education, and I found a quality program at UGA. Additionally, I was accepted into the Honors Program and knew that this would open the door to many opportunities for me, the combined bachelor’s/master’s program being one of those. Moreover, I have always been a huge sports fan, so coming to an SEC powerhouse like UGA seemed quite exciting. I also was awarded the Zell Miller Scholarship and other smaller scholarships out of high school, a huge draw to staying in-state. Lastly, my first college visit finalized the decision. How can anyone come to Athens and not want to make it home for a few years?

My favorite things to do on campus are...

… walking around and enjoying the campus, tailgating on game days, running at the intramural fields, scoring free T-shirts and going to any and every home athletic event.

When I have free time, I like...

… to fill it by doing anything outside, going to any UGA athletic event and scoring some freebies, working out at Ramsey, enjoying Athens, working at camp and scouring the Internet for my next adventure.

The craziest thing I've done is...

… graduate in three-and-a-half years … with my bachelor’s and master’s degrees. What was the rush? It’s been the best few years of my life!

My favorite place to study is...

… my room. I know it is not as picturesque as studying at Two Story Coffeehouse, but it is extremely convenient and a sure way to get away from distractions. In the fall and spring, though, I was often found studying somewhere outside on campus, enjoying the weather.

My favorite professor is...

Tough question. I have had some great professors who are extremely knowledgeable and current in their field in both mathematics and mathematics education. If I had to choose, it would be Ryan Smith. He genuinely cares about his students, keeps the material interesting and relevant and is always full of great insight for future teachers.

If I could share an afternoon with anyone, I would love to share it with...

… my nanny and pop—my grandparents and two best friends that we unfortunately lost in 2010 and 2011. I miss them every day.

If I knew I could not fail, I would...

… find a cure for cancer, particularly pancreatic cancer. This horrendous disease is a silent but disgustingly quick killer. It took my grandmother, nanny, from us and takes many more each day.

If money was not a consideration, I would love to...

… create an intensive mathematics program in which I make the world the classroom. It would attract independent, mature students with an interest in traveling. As we are traveling and seeing the world’s greatest offerings, the program would focus on identifying, learning and applying deep and relevant mathematics. This program would cover an extensive curriculum from managing travel finances to the mathematics behind famous buildings and more. I would imagine that students would be incredibly motivated to learn mathematics and would never have to ask one of the most annoying questions for teachers: “Why do I have to learn this?” or “When am I ever going to need to know this in the real world?” Hopefully, this would make mathematics meaningful for the students and maybe even make them interested in mathematics as a career path. This would combine most of my greatest passions: traveling, teaching and our youth.

After graduation, I plan to...

… leave for Tanzania at the end of December to teach mathematics in a local school for six months through WorldTeach. Africa has been in my heart for years and years, and I cannot wait to be immersed in their way of life!

The one UGA experience I will always remember will be...

This may be cheating, but I am going to group the hundreds of sporting events I attended together, as that is most certainly an unforgettable component of my UGA experience.